Kiss Me
by Astrid of Dragons
Summary: Harry and Cedric have a private conversation by the lake a few days after the second task, which leads to some surprising reactions.


Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter. I only wish I did.

I wrote this in response to a fan fiction contest hosted by the facebook page The Three Marauders. We were given a list of prompts to choose from and I chose "Could you do me a favour? Kiss me."

Kiss Me

* * *

It was two days after the second task of the Triwizard Tournament and Harry found himself wandering down by the lake, when he heard a rustling sound from the bushes to his left. He moved closer only to discover Cedric Diggory crouched down behind the bushes. Trying not to startle him Harry softly called his name.

"Cedric? What are you doing? Are you hiding from someone?"

Looking up at Harry and taking a proper seat on the ground, Cedric waved him down beside him. Once the younger boy was seated, Cedric answered his questions.

"Yes, you could say I'm hiding from someone." When Harry didn't say anything Cedric continued. "Truthfully, I'm hiding from Cho. Ever since the second task she hasn't left me alone for even a moment except to use the loo and sleep."

"But isn't she your girlfriend? Don't you want to spend time with her?"

"That's just it Harry! She's not my girlfriend! She just thinks that she is." At Harry's confused look Cedric sighed, "I don't like Cho. Not like that anyway. She's a nice girl and all, but that's the problem, she's a girl."

To say Harry was shocked would be an understatement. "So, you …"

"Like boys? Yeah. You don't have a problem with that do you?"

"What? No, I don't have a problem. Love is love no matter what form it comes in. I'm just surprised. Everyone has always referred to you as the Hufflepuff Heartthrob. They say you've flirted with more than half the girls fourth year and above. You make a lot of girls swoon."

Cedric laughed, "You should be the first person to understand that rumors are sometimes just that, rumors."

Harry blushed in embarrassment, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry," Cedric smiled. "I'm friendly, unfortunately some girls mistake being friendly with flirting. Cho, for example is one of them. I asked her to the Yule Ball as a friend, because I didn't think the person I truly wanted to ask would say yes, and she seemed to understand that. We had fun, dancing and talking the whole night. When I walked her back to her dorm that night she tried to kiss me. I stopped her and attempted to explain again without hurting her feelings.

"Everything was going alright after that until that bloody second task! How did they even decide on whom to take? Aside from the Ball I've hardly spoken to Cho in the last two months. What made them think she was something I'd 'sorely miss'? They didn't put Parvati down there for you even though you took her to the Ball. It really should have been my father, or my best friend, like how they chose Ron for you. Because now Cho thinks I'm in love with her and that I was just trying to keep her at a distance so I could focus on the tournament and not get distracted. She will not believe a word I say to the contrary," Cedric huffed out in frustration. "So, here I am hiding in the bushes, trying to figure out what to do next."

"Wow," Harry breathed. "I really don't envy you your situation." Harry stood and began dusting the snow off his cloak. "I wish I could help, but I really have no clue how to deal with girls. You saw the disaster that was my date to the Yule Ball."

Cedric chuckled, picking himself up from the ground as well. "It's no problem, Harry. You just listening actually helped a lot. Thank you." As Cedric smiled down at Harry, he noticed something off in the distance just over Harry's right shoulder.

"You're welcome," Harry responded as he began turning away to head back into the school.

"Wait!" Cedric exclaimed as he grabbed Harry's arm to stop him from leaving. "Did you mean it when you said you would help?"

"…Yes…"

"Could you do me a favour? Kiss me."

Harry's eyes flew wide open in shock. "I … um … yes?..."

Before he could change his mind Cedric swooped down and claimed Harry's lips with his own. The kiss was slow and innocent at first, but as Harry relaxed, Cedric deepened the kiss wrapping his arms around the younger boy. Harry's arms slowly rose to encircle Cedric's neck.

Just as they were about to come up for air, they heard a startled gasp, "Cedric?!"

Pulling apart the two boys came face to face with Cho Chang, who was staring at them with a look of both hurt and confusion.

Cedric cleared his throat and said, "Cho, I …"

"Is this what you've been trying to tell me?" Cho interrupted. "That you don't want to be with me, not because of the tournament, but because you're gay?"

"…Yes. Listen Cho, I'm sorry. I…"

"Why didn't you just tell me? I wouldn't have been angry. It hurts more that you didn't think you could tell me outright than hearing the actual truth."

Cedric stepped forward. "Again, I'm sorry Cho. I should have been more honest with you from the start. I just wasn't sure how you'd take the news. I haven't told many people, just my closest friends and Harry … and now you. I can only hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me."

Cho smiled up at him, "It's alright Cedric, and of course you're forgiven. Besides, I think you two make a really cute couple!" And then with a giggle she was gone, leaving both Cedric and Harry staring after her in wonder.

"Well…," Cedric breathed a sigh of relief. "She took that better than I hoped."

"Couple! She thinks we're a couple!" Harry exclaimed. "And did you see her coming? Is that why you kissed me?"

"Calm down, Harry," Cedric said approaching cautiously. "To answer your questions; yes, I saw her coming, but no, that's not the only reason I kissed you."

With a raised eyebrow, Harry sent a silent push for Cedric to continue the explanation.

"Do you remember earlier when I said I asked Cho to the Ball because I didn't think the person I truly wanted to ask would say yes?" Harry nodded. "Well, you were the person I truly wanted to ask."

At Harry's shocked expression Cedric tentatively took his hand in his, "I first really started to notice you a little over a year ago after that Quidditch match. I had seen you fly before and you were amazing, but I had never really noticed you outside of Quidditch until that day. I found myself observing you more often that year. Your smile can really light up a room and your laugh is truly infectious. I soon wished that I could be the one to make you smile and laugh, but I had found no indication either way as to whether you fancied girls or boys. I was too scared of rejection to say anything to you, so I remained silent. But then this year, with circumstances what they were, we ended up more often in each other's company and I realized that my attraction to you had only grown stronger. I only wish I hadn't been such a coward and confessed my feelings sooner, maybe this whole mess with Cho wouldn't have happened."

Harry remained silent after Cedric's confession. He wasn't sure what to say, or what to do, or even what he felt. Aside from his small crush on Cho earlier this year, he had never really thought much on whether he liked girls or boys or both. He could say for certain now, that he at least liked kissing Cedric. It had been a rather pleasant experience, that he wouldn't mind repeating.

Cedric was beginning to get nervous in the face of Harry's continued silence. Starting the feel defeated he said, "Look, we can just forget this whole thing ever happened. No one has to know. I'll talk to Cho, she won't say any…"

Placing a finger on Cedric's lips Harry interrupted his rambling saying, "Could you do me a favour? Kiss me."

Smiling, Cedric happily granted him that favour.

The End


End file.
